PW names A Song for the River A Best Nonfiction Book of the Year

PW names A Song for the River A Best Nonfiction Book of the Year

“This powerful work belongs with the classics of the nature writing genre and is equally important as a rumination on living and dying.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

The Gila River and Wilderness are the heart and soul of A Song for the River. Every summer since 2002, Philip Connors has been perched in a tower 50 feet above the Gila Wilderness, watching for fire. His first book, Fire Season (30,000 sold), recounted the deep lessons learned about mountains, wilderness, fire, and solitude. A Song for the River, its sequel, updates and deepens the story: the mountain he loves goes up in flames; a lookout on another mountain whom he has come to love as brother dies in a freak accident; and three high school students he admires die tragically in an airplane crash while researching the wilderness and the wild river they wish to save. Connors channels their voices in a praise song of great urgency and makes a plea to save a vital piece of our natural and cultural heritage: the wild Gila River, whose waters are threatened by a potential dam.

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A Stream of Rave Reviews and Awards

“It is no ordinary song and no ordinary river.” —Albuquerque Journal

“Readers who enjoy personal narratives and nature writing will be drawn to this book, which is a nice companion to the author's earlier work, Fire Season.” —Library Journal, Starred Review

“A heartfelt, well-written volume of vignettes and reflections of a man who—much like his long lineage of fire lookout forebears—gladly chooses to escape civilization for the natural world.” —Kirkus Reviews